Pinterest Recipes

For those of you not on Pinterest..wait who isn't on Pinterest?! Anyways there are tons of great recipes on this website that you can "pin" which is awesome for giving you new ideas for free. However, not all of the recipes are that great. I decided I should share my good ones in case anyone needed a new recipe.

Recipe #1 S'more Cookies (need I say more)

These are amazing! Especially warm! Don't make them if you are on a diet which clearly I am not :)

Easy S’mores Cookies

• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. of Immaculate Baking Co. Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• 12 Marshmallows (cut in half)
• 2 (1.55 oz) Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars (each broken into the 12 rectangles)

1. Bake cookies according to instructions on the package.
2. Place 1 marshmallow (cut in half) on top of each cookie and return to the oven for 2 minutes.
3. Remove cookies from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes.  Then place cookies on a cooling rack.
4. Once on the cooling rack, place one rectangle from the Hershey bars on top of each cookie.  Eat while warm or allow to cool.  If you are taking the cookies some where, allow the cookies to cool completely and store place in a container placing wax paper between each layer so the cookies don’t stick together.  Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Adapted from Dear Billie The Blog.

Recipe #2:
This one is a great dinner "guys" recipe especially if you like hot wings. Sorry no picture!

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 13.25 oz. box Barilla Whole Grain Pasta (shells, penne or rotini)
• 1 lb. cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 small bell peppers, red and yellow, seeded and diced
• 1 bunch chopped green onions, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup Ranch (or if you like Blue Cheese)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup Buffalo Hot Wing Sauce
• 3 cups shredded cheese, divided (cheddar, mozzarella or a blend)
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Boil the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
3. Add the cooked chicken, chopped bell peppers, 3/4 of the green onions, and 2 1/4 cups of shredded cheese to the large bowl. Mix well.
4. Place the garlic, cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and 1/2 cup hot wing sauce in a food processor. Puree until smooth, taste and add another 1/4 cup hot wing sauce if needed. Pour over the pasta and toss. Put mixture in the baking dish.
5. Mix the remaining 3/4 cup cheese and the Panko together. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle with the remaining green onions.
6. Bake until golden, approximately 30-40 minutes.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Adapted From: http://aspicyperspective.com/2012/02/buffalo-chicken-mac-and-cheese.html

Baby/Daddy Hospital Bags

All of our bags are packed! I just received Jackson's going home outfit (which is not pictured because it's a surprise and it's currently being washed).

The baby bag: 

-Blanket

-Swaddle blanket

-Wipes

-Diapers

-Extra Clothes

-Mittens so he won't scratch his face

-Socks

-Burp Rag

-Going home outfit

-And the cute diaper bag!

*Our hospital said you don't need to bring anything really expect his going home outfit but just in case we are set.

And of course a nursing pillow!

The daddy bag:

-Extra Blanket

-Extra Pillow

-Pajamas

-Clothes 

-Toiletries 

-Snacks

-IPAD

-Chargers

34 weeks~8 1/2 months!

Size of a cantaloupe!

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain:

wait for it...29 pounds! Gasp! That’s 5 pounds in 2 weeks. Uh growth spurt Jackson?! hahah the Doctor was not concerned at all. She said because of my pre-baby weight this was just fine. Just keep doing what I am doing.. 

Maternity clothes? 

Oh yea. I had to buy a bigger size! This belly is peaking out of all the maternity shirts I had. Also retired some tight fitted dresses due to these widening hips- it just looked weird! I still can’t fit into medium pants which is a little annoying because 80% of the hand me downs are mediums. 

Stretch marks? 

Nope! 

Sleep: 

Amazing this week! I was so tired!! 

Best moment this week: 

Everything! See my done list. haha but taking Jamie on our boat was probably my most favorite! And swimming in the ocean- I’m not quite sure jumping and floating in the waves is what the doctor had in mind for “swimming.” We had a great weekend! And of course hearing Jackson’s healthy heartbeat!

Miss Anything? 

Nope!

Movement: 

Like whoah! This never gets old!

Food cravings: 

Water, tea, lemonade. I’m really thirsty :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: 

Sometimes meat.  And people telling me, "Your stomach is so big!" Is that ever appropriate to say?! Guess what we have 6 more weeks of growing people! I'm going to start telling those people that their stomach looks big too.. JUST KIDDING! 

Gender: 

BOY!

Labor Signs:

More braxton hicks, hips widening, baby boy is head down

Symptoms: 

SO HOT! Swelling! A lot more back aches, rib pain. I had a couple headaches this week.

Belly Button in or out? 

Out

Wedding rings on or off? 

Off and apparently I spoke with a jeweler this week and she said my fingers might not go back down.. :(

Happy or Moody most of the time: 

HAPPY!! SO EXCITED! Got a little nervous this weekend because it is getting really real! But still really excited. 

Looking forward to: 

Getting closer to full term! Meeting Jackson!

Workout:

Missed yoga this week again.. I know I know labor is coming up I should be doing yoga everything day but it’s so boring I would rather walk. 

Furry Babies:

Stella has been especially lovey these days. I wonder if they will sense when labor is coming?!

To dos:

• Done: Received Jackson’s going home outfit, bought the rest of his clothes, built all the baby stuff we had, put all the batteries in everything, washed all the clothes, sheets, etc, organized the bathroom/Jackson’s stuff, packed my hospital bag and Jamie’s, packed baby bag for hospital- got the diaper bag!!

Left: Buy- ceiling fan, conversion kit, install carseats, wash all the baby toys...

Dr Appointment:

Apparently some of my symptoms are signs of labor- really bad lower back pain, having lots of downward pressure, etc. So she did a cervical check to make sure I wasn’t in labor (which I was really shocked that she was concerned about labor but obviously I’m not a doctor) and it is closed! Whew! So I go back in 2 weeks and then we start going every week! 

6 more weeks!!

3 more weeks until he is full term!!

Project Nursery Complete!

The nursery is done! Here it is:

The view from the door. 

Crib

Rocker with the super cute quilt and pillow from Pottery Barn! Also a really cute bag- from my grandma :) for all his toys that fit perfectly under the night stand. We still have to hang a picture collage that you put each month pictures in- it will go on the blank wall.

Changing station and dresser. Look at all those books! And the diaper caddy isn't it cute?! And organized!

Whoa! The closet is holding anything Jackson! We haven't opened everything yet but we will. Look at all those clothes :) 

And now for the details:

Neptune beach, surfer car, and a turtle

The hutch organized! All the nursing stuff is in the bag, pacifiers in the clear container, and cleaning supplies on the right. Bottom shelf: first aid stuff!

Diaper caddy: diapers, wipes, tee pee for the wee wee, diaper creams. The diaper caddy will fit a regular wipe holder but the holder I am using is a little to big so I'm keeping it separate. 

Washing baby clothes

I have never been one to wash clothes prior to wearing them (gross but I really don't care) but I have read that I need to wash the baby clothes (this makes sense to me). And because we aren't made of money 90% of the babies clothes aren't organic- sheets, mattress cover, mattress, changing pad yes but clothes no. So I had recently read that washing the clothes in vinegar decreases chemicals in clothing.

Awesome cheap, natural, non-toxic

My quick google research says that it is helpful for natural cleaning and can reduce chemicals from clothing. Vinegar is amazing for organic cleaning just google it and you can see tons of ways to clear using vinegar. So why not?  It can't hurt anything. I spent all day Friday and part of Saturday washing baby clothes and now some of our clothes (just to get a full load) in vinegar and Baby Ganics Detergent. The vinegar didn't make the clothes smell or discolor or anything like that. In fact it made everything so soft! Our sheets feel amazing! I might keep this up!

To wash clothes you add 1 cup of vinegar with the regular amount of detergent. Now our detergent isn't marked as organic but it uses many natural based ingredients and was BOGO at Babys R Us :) I actually compared the ingredients on 7th generation that is organic and I had no idea what was in 7th generation..

One of the really cute outfits I was washing this weekend :) I can't wait to dress up Jackson!!

I also managed to buy the rest of Jackson's clothes this weekend! Well probably way too many but I don't care!  He's going to look soooo cute! We may be doing fashion shows everyday :)

The hospital bag

I have had this on my todo lists for weeks but it seemed like a daunting task at the time. That was until Jamie came home from Daddy Bootcamp and said we need to have our bags packed!! Along with installing the car seat in the car. Well really he had a lot of todos after his class so... I thought I would spend my Friday off trying to get them done. Off to target I went to finish up the mommy hospital bag.

Here is the just some of things I packed in our suitcase (a rolling one~I thought it would make things a bit easier on Jamie):

• Bathrobe
• Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, face wash, lotion, toothpaste, a pack of toothbrushes (who will remember to pack these when you are in labor!), contact case, glasses, razors
• Chapstick
• Candy ( I read this is good since you can eat when you are in labor) so I got some for me and some for Jamie (support person might want some starbursts)
• Pads (if you have to ask why start reading about labor/delivery)
• Nursing bras
• Nursing PJ's
• Undies
• Hand sanitizer (for those germs people will bring in and try to hold your baby with)
• Birth Plan
• Notebook/pens
• Breastfeeding book
• Coming home clothes
• I still need: socks with grips on the bottom, soothies, magazines
• To pack last minute: hair drier, makeup, camera, chargers, flipflops
• Make a labor play list (for relaxation)

And gatorade for both of us! And an old towel for the car just in case my water breaks on the way. I put all the shower stuff in one baggie to keep things kind of organized.

A nursing pajama dress (I'm told this was a good idea for the hospital..) and a tank/shorts nursing pajama set. I bought cute clothes because everyone will be coming in and out of the rooms a zillion times AND you can wear them again. 

Next: pack the daddy and baby bag! And of course I will try to post what was really a necessity and what we missed etc after the day arrives! 

33 weeks

Size of a pineapple!

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain:

24 pounds total.. after my shower I’m sure I’ve gained an extra 5 :)

Maternity clothes? 

Yep

Stretch marks? 

Nope! Veins veins veins

Sleep: 

Eww getting worse. I wake up a lot more now. 

Best moment this week: 

The baby shower!! And getting the rest of the baby stuff- well most of it.

Miss Anything? 

Sleeping on my back! 

Movement: 

This week is the most active he has ever been! I read he is suppose to slow down this week because he is running out of room...we'll see about that. Right now it feels like I have a toddler in my belly.

Food cravings: 

Nothing I can think of...what?! hahah

Anything making you queasy or sick: 

Chicken/BBQ

Gender: 

BOY!

Labor Signs:

More braxton hicks.

Symptoms: 

Swelling! HOT! Back/leg aches. Leg cramps at night. My hips have widen..eks! “To allow for the birth of your baby..” That’s what my yoga DVD says LOL. Not a symptom but getting a little bit tired of all the "advice" we've been getting! I know it comes with the territory but really the only advice I listen to is from close friends who have babies or people I specifically ask hey do you like your xyz? Strangers really (especially men who have never been pregnant)..not so much. This was a common compliant in our birth class too. I can only image how much worse it will get once he gets here! 

Belly Button in or out? 

It’s out! And really showing through shirts but I’m letting it be seen. 

Wedding rings on or off? 

Off.

Happy or Moody most of the time: 

HAPPY!!

Looking forward to: 

Attending the breastfeeding class- I'm a dork I know.

Workout:

Missed yoga this week.

Furry Babies:

I'm a snuggle bunny mom. I don't think you need a baby you have me! 

How he got in that box I have no idea!

To dos:

Done: Getting more stuff off the registry! Almost done still need DIAPERS! Finished birth plan. Starting building some of the new goodies

Left: Buy- ceiling fan, conversion kit, going home outfit for Jackson, car seat, organize the bathroom/make room for Jackson’s stuff, finish  packing the hospital bag, wash all the baby stuff, organize his room, install the car seat

Worries:

I was worried about getting all the stuff we need but we took care of a lot of it on Sunday.    So really nothing at the moment!

7 more weeks!!

4 more weeks until he is full term!!

Baby Shower #2

32 weeks~3 days

Jackson's baby shower was nautical theme as you can see in the pics! It was such a great day! We had lots of family and friends come in and it was great seeing all of them. The decorations were awesome!! We played games, ate, and opened lots of cute baby gifts. The boys all went to a brewery in Jacksonville and then came to crash the party. We spent Sunday buying the rest of the baby stuff and using my coupons we saved $180.00 woah! Now we have tons of stuff to put together and organize.. but we are so tired from the weekend our living room looks like Buy Buy Baby exploded!

And the daddy

32 weeks ~ 8 months!!

Size of a squash

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain:

24 pounds total

Maternity clothes? 

Maternity. I had to retire my non-maternity swimsuit this weekend it was a sad day because it is way cuter than my maternity one. 

Stretch marks? 

Nope!

Sleep: 

Great! Needing more and more sleep lately. I was super tired this week.

Best moment this week: 

Learning that Jackson is head down and ready to go! Seeing him in there moving around.

Miss Anything? 

Wearing regular clothes/going shopping. Handling the heat better.

Movement: 

He is very active right before I go to bed. He had a foot pressed up against my stomach and if I rubbed it, he would kick. Jamie got to feel some of them so that was cool! Jamie also got to feel the hiccups! 

Food cravings: 

Hamburgers, fruit, dill chips- I just ran out this could be a problem. Water with ICE. This has been really consistent since I got pregnant and I was never a big ice person before. So weird! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: 

Chicken

Gender: 

BOY!

Labor Signs:

More braxton hicks.

Symptoms: 

Swelling and being uncomfortable. This heat is killing me. It seems like the second I start swelling my mood goes out the door. It was a tough weekend for sure. 

Belly Button in or out? 

Almost completely out! 

Wedding rings on or off? 

Off in this heat yea right. In fact my fake ring that is 2 sizes bigger has gotten stuck on my fingers when we were at the beach.

Happy or Moody most of the time: 

Ohhh this week irritated. For some reason the thought of 8-9 more weeks seems unbearable. I blame the heat.

Looking forward to: 

The Baby Shower!! 

Workout:

Same as usual. 

Reading:

Nada.

Checklist: Done

• Made final decision on the pediatrician of course now I think I might have changed my mind...
• Ordered a couple more things we needed.
• Bought the last frame we needed for his room.
• Contacted a doula
• Had our last ultrasound
• Started our child birth classes

To do: Decide about a doula, buy- ceiling fan, conversion kit, going home outfit for Jackson, write the birth plan, organize the bathroom/make room for Jackson’s stuff, finish  packing the hospital bag

Worries:

A little concerned that he is measuring small but I know he has plenty of time to catch up!  Apparently I do need newborn size clothing! 

Doctor appointment: Showed he is in the 43rd percentile- approximately and weighs about 3.14 pounds. They are estimating that he will be around 7 pounds. The doctor said it’s nothing to worry about. He has hair!! And sweet cubby cheeks on the ultrasound. It looked like a large nose... (blame Jamie I kid I kid). This ultrasound we both spent the whole time confused on what we are looking at- it was much easier when he was smaller. And his face picture looks like a skeleton.. hahah we were both a little disappointed with this one.  He is head down!! Whoohoo so that is great news! I go back in two weeks. 

8 more weeks!!

5 more weeks until he is full term!!

The Business of Being Born Review

Since my scare (or fear really) of watching The Birth Story on TV, I have avoided any "real" birth videos. Recently, I had heard mention of The Business of Being Born and decided since we are in the homestretch I should maybe check it out. I knew absolutely nothing about it except for the fact that someone said it was good. So I googled it and thought it looked interesting. And we happen to have it on netflix so why not? One night during the week, Jamie and I sat down and watched it.
My expectations:

• Women screaming/yelling and behaving like wild animals in pain
• Really gross shots of the woman's vagina
• PAIN AGONY PAIN

What really happens: This movie is awesome! The facts and information you learn is crazy-Jamie was shocked. This movie also went along great with my Birth Book by Dr. Sears. The movie looks into the history and revolution of birth in America and how it differs from other countries. Which we have spent most of my pregnancy asking- do people in Europe really not eat Brie for 10 months...or do Asians really not eat sushi...But I regress. The movie really shows you how using an OB is different than a midwife. The different births you can have- home birth, water birth, etc. What was amazing is the women are not screaming or making birth look terrifying (which was one of the main topics about American women scaring other women, etc etc), the women are obviously in pain but they are in control and then out pops a baby...Say what?! The movie was going along and I was like uh is that a head? OMG she just had a baby. And it wasn't disgusting at all. They actually made birth look beautiful. Jamie actually agreed that he was amazed how it wasn't full of blood and guts going everywhere and screaming. It was a very empowering movie. I think this was the first time Jamie understood why I wanted a doula. 

Now I will say this movie is pretty granola. As you can read from previous posts I am more open to natural and being green/chemical free all the time (still trying to get Jamie on board with that one). But I am obviously in the health field which I greatly respect. So there is a fine line of balance I think. I believe in doctors and medicine but this is one area where I think we could use a new perspective on. The movie said in a perfect world we should have OBs and midwives working together. Which would be awesome! 

My advice is to watch this doing the beginning of your second trimester or during your first so you can start looking for a midwife or doula. I hope I'm not too late! 

Picking a Pediatrician

Well we have met with three wonderful pediatricians in the area and we have heard good and bad things about all of them! I will say the bad things weren't that bad but you know everyone has opposing opinions. We had actually pretty much made up our minds on pediatrician #2 and almost canceled our last appointment but a coworker of mine really like the 3rd one so we had to go check her out. I was really hoping to hate the 3rd one just because it would make it an easy decision...well in fact we LOVED her. Crap. On our way to lunch we both felt the exact same way!

Before meeting with them you should be prepared to ask questions because most of the time they give you the floor first. Naturally it's hard to think of these when you are there so I did some research on what to ask and here is what we came up with:

Questions	Doctor 1	Doctor 2	Doctor 3
Are you open to doing an alternative vaccine schedule?	Yes but reluctant	Yes no problem	Yes. She only likes to give 2 vaccines at at time anyways
Do you have hospital privileges- do you see the baby at the hospital?	Has hospital privileges but does not see the baby at the hospital feels the neonatal specialists are more qualified	Yes, she will see the baby at the hospital	No but she feels the neonatal specialists are more qualified to examine the baby.
Office Hours?	Monday-Friday Babies should be seen in the mornings on certain days only.	8-5 They have three offices that rotate late office hours. Open on Saturdays.	Monday-Friday. Babies can come anytime and will be taken straight to the nursery that is only for babies. You do not sit in the waiting room.
How do you handle last minute sick appointments? After hour appointments? Answering phone calls?	You can email any questions you have and make weekend appointments	There is a Doctor always on call to answer questions.	She (the doctor) is always on call.
Will other physicians in the practice see my baby?	No	Yes, there are three doctors who rotate all offices.	No
Additional information	Really support breastfeeding, small office, close to Danielle’s work	You can go to any office, your information is online (safe website), locations are great- close to Jamie’s work and the house, really nice	Small office more personalized approach. She likes to spend more time speaking with her patients about the why/how she does things versus just giving prescriptions out. She believes that the parent should feel comfortable asking questions. Great location for us right now and across from Jamie’s office. Really cute office. Staff was extremely nice. CLEAN- they focus on germ control.

You can see why it is such a hard decision between 2 and 3. But we picked #3! Jamie immediately said this is the best office for me. I like the fact that I only have to see one doctor who is willing to explain why and have a discussion with me. She wasn't intimidating at all and I felt fine discussing my opinions about vaccines with her. She even said I know exactly how you feel (about being a little jaded because of my job) because she has her own kids too. I really liked that they had a nursery just for babies and I wouldn't be sitting in the waiting room. Plus when I call her at 2am she knows who I am and it's not a random person that I'm talking to (which I experienced with Jamie's surgery and I felt like they weren't helpful at all because they didn't know him from Adam).  There are cons of course to only have one physician you are seeing but we will see how it goes. And we decided if we do move later we can always switch to Dr #2.